Cooking Bajan Style: Guava Cheese

Ohhh good ol' (sweet) Guava Cheese. If you have been privileged enough to visit Barbados (or the Caribbean) and have a taste of our homemade guava cheese you know the great feeling you get as you are consuming. If you have not, then you must be wondering what the heck Guava cheese is. Thankfully it is no, not cheese, but rather a Caribbean Candy which is no less than divine. This Pomegranate coloured sugary treat may just be the sweetest part (literally) of your meal; the tart and bold flavor of the guava is perfectly balanced by the sweetness of the, well, sugar. Guava cheese is the perfect dessert if you just want that little sweet bite after a meal or a sweet something to snack on during the day. So whether your interested in mixing up a batch to share with friends and family or just to enjoy all by yourself, this recipe is easier than you think. 

GUAVA CHEESE

Ingredients:

750 g sugar
15 large Guavas
juice of one sour limes or lemon
3 drops red food coloring

Directions:

Skin guavas and boil them in water in an aluminum pot until the guavas are just soft, not squishy. Remove from heat, drain off the water.
When cool, halve the guavas and scoop out the seeds. Blend the halves to a pulp.
Put in an aluminum pot and add sugar. Stir continuously on medium heat. After 15 minutes, add lime/lemon juice and food colour.
Continue to stir till mixture thickens, leaves the sides of the pot and comes together like a ball.
Grease a marble slab or wooden board as well as rolling pin. Turn out the mixture on to this surface and roll out till flat and smooth.
Allow to cool a little and while still warm, cut into cubes or diamonds and let cool completely.
Store in an airtight tin.

Enjoy!